From the very beginning of Lent, we are reminded constantly that following all the rules - being devout, praying and fasting - are worth naught if we develop a feeling of superiority, a feeling of being better than the person who does not fit our view of holiness. The account of the conversion of Levi the tax collector brings this message home once again. Conversion is central to Lent. It is traditionally the period when the catechumenate enter intense preparation for baptism at Easter. On this very day the rite of election for baptismal candidates is taking place at St Chad’s Cathedral in Birmingham and we especially keep them in our prayers. It is also a period for all to take stock of their baptismal promises and their personal call to repentance. It is a period to realise particularly that the call from Christ is not just a single moment but a constant beckoning from Our Lord. Our treatment, from this greatest and truest of physicians, does not end when we receive baptism. The abundant grace of baptism and the other sacraments continues to affect and heal us. During Lent we are called to be humble and to accept that we all have need for the truly-life saving expertise of Christ and that it is freely available to all who ask for it.
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